Chapter 848: Negotiation

Seeing the first paragraph of the letter, Franca felt as if it had finally arrived.

She had been waiting, waiting for Mr. Star to make a request so she could obtain a mid- to low-rank Elixir of the Night Path for Amadina.

Franca read the rest with a mix of anticipation and nervousness:

"He wants you to decipher the text in the attached materials—it resembles the writings in Emperor Rosel's diary.

"He imposes no time limit; you may take your time.

"Your suggestion that Christine's father might be the 'Blood Emperor' Arista Tudo is extremely valuable and important intelligence.

"Now, we suspect that the entity at the deepest layer of the Special Mirror World—the one worshipped by the 'Mirror Man' cult—is not the 'Primordial Witch' in the truest sense, but rather one of the purposes behind the 'Blood Emperor' and the 'Primordial Witch' when they created that Special Mirror World; it is deeply connected to the 'Primordial Witch,' yet appears to have slipped beyond their control, and the 'Primordial Witch's' current poor condition may stem from this.

"Next, your primary task alongside the 'Seven Holy Grails' is to locate 'Mirror Man' Jasmin and probe the 'Black Witch' to determine whether she possesses deep knowledge of the Special Mirror World; of course, all of this hinges on your ensuring your own safety.

"If you encounter anomalies, request my assistance."

"The 'Judge' Lady still has no wasted words…" Franca turned to the next page.

What followed were the attached materials.

Franca glanced at them—and her pupils dilated instantly:

This—this was not the script from Emperor Rosel's diary!

This was either oracle bone script or bronze script—either way, one of the oldest scripts from the nation she and Emperor Rosel had come from before their crossing!

"Where did this come from?

"Who the hell even knows these…

"Not sure if it's truly oracle bone or bronze script—I don't understand them myself; I'm illiterate…

"Is it an unknown mystical language of this world, just resembling oracle bone script?

"But it really does look like it—clearly pictographic!"

Franca carefully examined the characters.

Though she had never studied oracle bone or bronze script, as a young person raised in the internet age, she had seen some, memorizing the simplest ones and their meanings—like "person."

Soon, she spotted multiple similar pictographic characters.

"Slightly different from my memory, but essentially the same…

"Treat them as oracle bone or bronze script for now… Where did Mr. Star get these? Did they find Harrison from Easter Island? No—if they had, they'd have told me…

"Or did the Great Arcana holder in the 'Morse Ascetics' encounter something related to the 'Celestial Master' while investigating the missing 'Ten Pillars' Kemo?

"Highly likely! No wonder the preface of this material warned me the characters' order had been scrambled to prevent contamination during deciphering—no wonder, the 'Celestial Master' who governs both the 'Seeker of Secrets' and the 'Universal Scholar' Paths!

"But without context, the difficulty of deciphering has increased more than twofold…

"Chen Tu! 'Armored Shadow' Chen Tu might know— but summoning him only allows three or four questions… I wonder, could I just ask directly what the general meaning of this material is…?"

In a flash of thought, Franca decided to seek help from the "Curly Baboon Research Society."

The society had many members from her home country, and several with advanced education—possibly some who had deeply studied oracle bone or bronze script.

She didn't need them to be masters—just to recognize the common characters; the rest she'd leave to the Great Arcana cards to infer from context.

Having decided, Franca wrote her letter with renewed energy, planning to summon Lady Hela's messenger to request a gathering soon.

She was too lazy to go out and "date" Lu Mi to discuss the "Black Witch"; after gnawing on a buttered bread roll, she sat at her desk and selected the few characters she could barely recognize, studying them repeatedly.

…………

In the Memorial District, inside Lu Mi's rented apartment.

Lu Mi sat on the sofa, watching Ludwig reading the magazine "Ghoul Face," pondering his next "taming" strategy.

After more than ten minutes, he smiled at Ludwig:

"You've been idle lately—nothing but eating."

"I'll give you homework."

The key to "taming" is making the target obey commands—even forcing themselves to do things they dislike.

Of course, pure intimidation and suppression won't work; it might work once or twice, but if done too often, Ludwig will run away again.

Ludwig's expression turned instantly fearful, as if saying, "See? You've been corrupted by the Church of Knowledge!"

Before he could speak, Lu Mi continued:

"Your assignment is to taste the most famous meat pies in Trill, gather information yourself, plan your route, and compile a gourmet report."

The first step in obedience is ensuring the command is accepted—something the child can and wants to do—then gradually increasing the difficulty.

Ludwig's eyes lit up instantly.

He licked his lips and said:

"Fine!"

The boy glanced out the window, then jumped up eagerly:

"I'll go now!"

Lu Mi laughed:

"It's already dark; outside is too dangerous—you're still just a child."

Too dangerous… still just a child… beside him, Lu Jianuo couldn't help glancing at Ludwig, his face filled with disapproval.

Lu Mi sighed:

"I mean, he's still just a child—his self-control is weak; he poses a danger to Trill's nighttime pedestrians."

He then turned to Ludwig:

"Tonight, gather information from newspapers and magazines, plan your route; complete the task tomorrow at dawn."

"Mm-hmm!" Ludwig leapt off the single sofa and began rummaging through the newspapers and magazines he'd subscribed to, thoroughly focused.

Lu Mi nodded in satisfaction, returned to his bedroom, and placed a continuously burning, brilliant white flame into the independent space within "The Traveler's Satchel."

After a while, he pulled out the charred, unrecognizable remains of Sylister—now shapeless, unidentifiable as any part of a body—and examined them.

According to Franca's "Magic Mirror Divination," these remains, after refinement and extraction, could replace the "tail tip of the Double-Tailed Black Snake" in the auxiliary materials for the "Pain" Elixir.

The "blood of the Flower-Faced Bat" in the auxiliary materials was no longer needed—Franca's blood was a superior substitute.

Lu Mi shoved the remains back into "The Traveler's Satchel," then took out the several books borrowed from the Morola Church of Knowledge.

Though the "Magician" Lady had already sealed the "Black Tear," useful knowledge was never excessive.

Of course, the more useful the knowledge, the stronger its contamination—requiring careful balance and choice.

Lu Mi lit the gas wall lamp, selected a book titled "Entering the Hall of Mysteries," and began reading leisurely.

As seconds ticked by, he suddenly turned his head toward the door.

The door creaked open, and a figure emerged from the shadows.

It was Jianna, wearing a white shirt and a light gauze skirt; her slightly darker linen-colored hair was coiled up, her blue eyes large and bright, her face lightly powdered, with a small black mole centered on her nose.

Her white blouse, adorned with floral patterns, was not revealing—yet its near-perfect curves stirred imagination and dry throats.

In that moment, Lu Mi saw the past figures of the "Flamboyant Woman" Jianna and the acting apprentice Cherie Belle merge into one—ethereally beautiful, yet carrying an inexplicable allure.

"I need your help," Jianna smiled, closing the door.

Lu Mi suddenly felt a sense of danger—not that his life was threatened, but that something else was amiss.

"I'm afraid I can't help you," Lu Mi said calmly, relying on the "Ascetic" trait.

Jianna lowered her eyelids, hiding her bright blue eyes.

She walked to the bed, sat down, and looked back at Lu Mi with a smile:

"First, hear me out—listen to my reasons."

Lu Mi fell silent for several seconds, then said:

"Go ahead."

Jianna propped her hands on either side, leaned forward slightly, her posture playfully teasing:

"You've guessed already, haven't you? Yes—I want you to help me digest the 'Pleasure' Elixir."

Of course… Lu Mi groaned:

"Why not ask Franca?"

"Two reasons—one surface-level, one real—which do you want to hear?" Jianna asked with a smile.

Lu Mi rubbed his temple:

"The surface-level one."

Jianna pursed her lips and gave a self-deprecating smile:

"She's happy to help me digest the 'Pleasure' Elixir—her mind won't resist, the pain will be minimal, which violates the 'Pleasure' ritual's rule that pleasure must come with pain; my digestion speed would be painfully slow.

"But you—I know you're unwilling, you're repulsed by this; the more you resist, the more you experience pleasure, the more you'll eventually hesitate, and the more self-reproach you'll feel afterward—the faster my 'Pleasure' Elixir will digest. Also, critically, you possess a false Angelic Rank; if everything goes smoothly, I might digest the Elixir in just two or three weeks and consider ascending to 'Pain Witch.'

"As the team leader, isn't this the best choice? It effectively improves your team's quality and enhances ritual efficacy.

"Don't recommend the 'Black Tear'—digesting the 'Pleasure' Elixir requires a partner."

Lu Mi remained silent.

Jianna couldn't help letting out a "huh":

"Just think of it as 'teleporting' a teammate, lending them your power—I don't want your emotions or your soul. Without emotion, isn't it always been your way to care about nothing? Isn't it always been your stance that you have no morals? Hey, do you have a cleanliness fetish? It's just helping!"

Lu Mi paused several seconds, then said:

"And you?"

Jianna lowered her eyes and smiled softly:

"I too will experience pleasure in pain, and pain in pleasure—perfectly aligned with the ritual rules."

Lu Mi fell silent for a moment, then said:

"What about Franca?"

Jianna bit her lip and said with a deep, dark gaze:

"If she finds out, it'll be the perfect chance for her to metabolize the 'Pain' Elixir."

Lumian sighed deeply:

"I thought you'd try to seduce me, stoke my desire, to achieve your goal—but instead you're negotiating with me like we're having a rational discussion."

Jianna wrinkled her face and grumbled:

"If I used seduction, you'd just 'Teleport' away immediately!"

"It's better to lay out the facts clearly: this is as normal and ordinary as drinking water or eating a meal—no guilt needed, no emotional cost. It's common in Indis!"

(End of Chapter)